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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2020)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Salem chaplain talks about life in the middle of COVID Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Ken Morse remembers the day in March when Sa- lem Hospital admitted its first COVID-19 patient and his job as lead chaplain became as much, or more, about providing empathy to staff as to patients and their families. He saw the fear in everyone's eyes, triggered by the uncertainty of a new and powerful coronavirus. Anxi- ety spread as fast as the virus did. But over the past seven months, as hospital officials overhauled how people could visit and care would be delivered, Morse has found ways to bring comfort to all those in need. One moment he’s holding the hand of a dying CO- VID-19 patient whose family can’t be there. The next, he’s holding the hand of an exhausted nurse. "He's the one who sees everything," said Shannon Priem, who works in marketing for Salem Health Hos- pitals and Clinics. "Nurses and doctors are saving lives. But how many people know what the chaplain is doing now, above and beyond?" Salem Hospital is ground zero for COVID-19 in Mar- ion County. Forty-three people have died there of the novel cor- onavirus as of Oct. 23, according to Salem Health. And in the most recent weekly report from Oregon Health Authority, 27 suspected or confirmed COVID-19 pa- tients were hospitalized at Salem Hospital during the week of Oct. 19-25, more than at any other hospital in Oregon. Morse, 58, is married and has two adult children, including a daughter who recently graduated from col- lege and is living at home because of COVID-19 ram- ifications. He refers to COVID-19 as "the worst house guest, be- cause it's intrusive and doesn't know when to go away." See CHAPLIN, Page 2A Ken Morse, lead chaplain at Salem Health, reflects on the changes he has seen at the hospital since COVID-19 surfaced. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL Enchanted Forest launches fundraising Campaign effort to stay open amdist COVID-19 Emily Teel Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Crews suited up in protective gear remove hazardous materials from homes burned by wildfire in Gates. The Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing removal of hazardous items including propane tanks, batteries, household chemicals and more. PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Hazardous waste hauled from burned homes EPA collecting debris in wake of Beachie Creek Fire Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Static from Geiger counters and creaks from metal echoed as crews in hazmat suits carefully inspected and sorted rubble where a house once stood off E. Central Road in Gates. The property, devastated by the Beachie Creek Fire in early September, is one of many sites across the state being cleaned by crews from the federal En- vironmental Protection Agency. Six teams with eight members each have been as- signed to clean up debris from the Beachie Creek and Holiday Farm fires. Additional crews were sent to areas in Jackson County. The EPA’s hazardous waste cleanup effort is the first in a two-step process funded by FEMA and the State of Oregon. The service is free to residents who submit Right of Entry forms. Crews collect material ranging from bleach con- tainers to batteries, paint to propane tanks — “any- thing that is compromised and potentially threatens public health,” said Randy Nattis, incident com- mander for EPA. So far, the teams have been able to clean up about 450 properties in the canyon, Nattis said. Officials anticipate the process will take several weeks. The goal is to have the hazardous debris removed to start phase two: ash and trash cleanup. How it works EPA crews are first tackled 100 “absolute priority” See HAZARDOUS, Page 4A Businesses fear being named as sites of COVID-19 outbreaks Say state’s reporting system is unfair and misleading Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK After the Oregon Health Authority identified the Little Village Learning Center in Salem as the site of a workplace outbreak of COVID-19, the owner closed and told clients 12 people – six children and six staff members – tested positive. A week after she reopened in September, the OHA said the childcare center had 22 cases. But no one would tell the owners how the state had arrived at the new number. Freres Lumber in Lyons knew of one employee who tested positive in August for COVID-19. But the next month, the state identified Freres as the site of an out- break — reporting they’d had five and then later 14 cases. Businesses argue they’re being stigmatized by a state reporting system they describe as unfair and misleading. State health officials say they’re following their long-used reporting system, but its impact is magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic’s attention. The state’s workplace outbreak numbers do not ac- tually tell the public how many employees are sick. For each business, they also include employees’ fam- The Enchanted Forest, a Mid-Valley icon south of Salem, has reached out for the public's help. Owners say they need half a million dollars to make it to their 50th anniversary season in 2021. In March, the family-owned and operated amuse- ment park was preparing to open for the season when COVID-19 arrived in Oregon. “We were thriving, we had no debt,” said Susan Vaslev, who manages the park along with her sister, Mary Tofte. “Everything was great.” Pandemic restrictions pushed back the opening of the park from mid-March until June 26 and there- after required a capacity cap of 250 people in the park, including staff. "We were sold out every day we were open," Vaslev said of the mostly outdoor park. But even on a skele- ton crew of 50 employees running concessions, san- itation, ticketing, and rides, the cap meant only 200 visitors at a time. "That," said Vaslev, “cannot possibly pay the bills.” The reduced operations capacity ripples through- out the park; fewer guests means fewer concessions and less merchandise sold. Nonetheless, expenses remain unchanged The family isn't ready to throw in the towel, how- ever, and they're working on a multifaceted plan to not let Humpty Dumpty down. Amusement parks hit by COVID-19 From Storybook Lane to Tofteville Western Town, in typical years the capacity of the 15-acre park num- bers in the thousands of visitors. The capacity of the parking lot is most often the limiting factor in deter- mining the number of visitors. A joke oft made by park guests this year, said Mary Tofte, was, “Oh, we have the place to ourselves!” Sisters Vaslev and Tofte, along with a small group of family members representing three generations, run the daily operations of The Enchanted Forest, the park envisioned and built by their father Roger Tofte, now 90. Tofte envisioned the fanciful park and built it piece by piece, financed by money he earned repair- ing watches and doing commercial drawings. 'When I'd fix a watch, I'd buy a bag of cement," he said. Opened in 1971, the park is beloved for its imagina- tive and homespun attractions, many inspired by fairy tales and nursery rhymes, a beloved summer destination for many Oregon families. In part because of its outdoor nature, and also be- cause of safety concerns surrounding the significant slope of many of the park’s stone walkways, The En- chanted Forest operates seasonally from mid-March through the end of September. The family business generates all of its revenue in six months to afford annual expenses; payroll, prop- See FUNDRAISING, Page 4A See COVID-19, Page 3A Vol. 139, No. 46 Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y The exterior of one of the first buildings to greet visitors to the Enchanted Forest. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
